ASEAN Cup 2026: Thailand Team Not Aiming for Championship

Challenges and obstacles are looming for coach Anthony Hudson and the Thailand squad at the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

Nearly two weeks ago, Thailand national team coach Anthony Hudson announced the squad for the 2026 AFF Cup, a lineup combining experienced veterans and young players developing in the Thai League.

Not the strongest squad

But the story behind Mr. Anthony Hudson's announcement of this list reflects the challenges and difficulties the "War Elephants" are facing.

Coach Anthony Hudson will not have his strongest squad at the ASEAN Cup because the tournament falls outside FIFA Days and Thai clubs are making it difficult to release players. Suphanat Mueanta, Thailand's rising star who scored 4 goals at the 2024 AFF Cup, is absent from this year's tournament after joining Japanese second-division club RB Omiya Ardija. His absence significantly weakens the "War Elephants" attack. Other Thai football stars such as Ben Davis, Supachi Jaided, and Chanathip Songkrasin are also not included in the ASEAN Cup 2026 squad.

Theerathon Bunmathan, who contributed 2 assists in Thailand's 2-1 win over Turkmenistan in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers last March, is also absent from the list.

Despite the presence of veterans like Sarach Yooyen and Pansa Hemviboon, Thailand's squad for the 2026 ASEAN Cup is not highly rated. It is not an exaggeration to say that this year's list is even weaker than the one two years ago when the "War Elephants" finished as runners-up.

Thai sports writer Wisarut Sinpongporn admitted: "Thailand announced a squad of 25 players for the 2026 ASEAN Cup, even though the organizers allowed a maximum of 26. The reason is simple: we could only gather that many players."

"When the 2026 ASEAN Cup was moved to late July - early August, that coincides with clubs gathering for pre-season training to prepare for the new 2026/27 season. Therefore, no club wants to release key players to the national team only to have them worn out by 7-8 matches just before the season starts. Not to mention, if a player (who is not yet at peak match fitness) gets injured, how will the club cope, and who will take responsibility?" Wisarut Sinpongporn said.

Wisarut Sinpongporn said that coach Anthony Hudson initially drew up a preliminary list of about 50 players, but in the end no club wanted to release players. He had to spend a lot of effort negotiating with each club to get players for the ASEAN Cup, otherwise he would have no squad to field. "That's why in an interview, Coach Hudson exclaimed: 'This is the most difficult call-up in my entire coaching career across four national teams,'" Wisarut Sinpongporn revealed.

No need to win the 2026 ASEAN Cup?

With a much weaker squad compared to his predecessors, the challenge for coach Anthony Hudson at the 2026 ASEAN Cup is enormous. In the group stage, Thailand may not face much difficulty when playing against Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, or Laos. But from the semi-finals onwards, things will be different as in Group A, Indonesia and Vietnam both have quality players.

Coach Hudson also admitted that Thailand is not the top contender for the championship this time and will try to go as far as possible in the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

Meanwhile, Wisarut Sinpongporn believes that Thailand does not need to win the 2026 ASEAN Cup but should focus on the immediate next stage, namely the FIFA ASEAN Cup taking place during the September and October FIFA Days. At that time, Coach Hudson will have his strongest squad because clubs will release players.

"In my opinion, reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 ASEAN Cup would already meet the requirement. If we go further to the final or win the championship, that would be considered a bonus," Wisarut Sinpongporn commented.

"The tournaments where we must go all out and use the strongest squad are the FIFA ASEAN Cup and the King's Cup in Sisaket in November. Those will be the final six warm-up matches before entering the Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia in early 2027. As for the AFF Cup, we will use whatever squad we have, no need to stress too much, as long as we don't get eliminated in the group stage," Wisarut Sinpongporn commented.

Wisarut Sinpongporn expects this ASEAN Cup to be a stage for young players like Yotsakorn Burapha, Chawanwit Saelao, Kakana Khamyok, Jahhanafee Mamah, and Pichitchai Sienkrthok to gain international experience. He also believes this is an opportunity for Coach Anthony Hudson to test personnel and refine his tactical system for future tournaments.

Although the ball has not yet rolled at the 2026 ASEAN Cup, it is understandable that Thailand's modest statements about their goals are understandable.